On the twenty-sixth of December an air of exhaustion lies over the land, which is not surprising. The Holidays are a big commitment, both emotionally and financially. The day after is a kind of shock, not so much like hitting a brick wall as like falling off a cliff. Now what do we do?
Some countries have an answer to this. They call it Boxing Day. December 26 is a national holiday in Britain, Australia, Canada, and a few other right-thinking nations. This gives everyone a much-needed opportunity to decompress after the Winter Solstice. Those who haven’t been hospitalized after the festive dinner go out on a long walk on Boxing Day, regardless of the weather. If they get pneumonia they can join the rest of the family in the ER. It used also to be a big day for fox hunting in Britain, what Oscar Wilde described as "The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable," until that unsporting sport was banned. Now foxes can digest their Christmas dinners in peace.
The origins of Boxing Day are lost in history, which just goes to show how quickly things do get lost in history. Some historians say that the peculiar name comes from the fact that many boxing matches were held on the day after Christmas, but that doesn’t seem very likely. Others have linked it, more plausibly, to the tradition of charity. December 26 is also Saint Stephen’s Day when the early churches used to put out boxes to collect alms for the poor. Remember that Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen, and went forth to do good works. In more recent times it was traditional for tradespeople and domestic servants to get their Christmas bonus or Christmas box on this day. This was first mentioned by Samuel Pepys in 1663.
In the countries that have a Boxing Day the important thing is not the origin of the name but the simple fact that it is a holiday. Here the Christmas break ends too abruptly. It's simply too short. We need more down time. Only Congress can declare National Holidays and, if they can’t fix the budget deficit, the least they can do is to fix the holiday deficit. An extra day here and there would be good for our health, and Boxing Day would be a good start.
Not everyone will like this idea, because not everyone loves a holiday. It opens up a yawning gap of time when there is nothing special to do. The Holidays just past have been filled with family events, traffic jams, and flight delays, so boredom was not really a problem. But an extra national holiday on December 26 would be just a quiet blank that could easily turn nasty for anyone given to reflection and regret.
But there’s little danger of that. Most people go right back to work today and, for anyone who has a moment to spare, there are the sales. My wife tells the story that, on December 26, her mother would rush out to buy half-price Christmas cards while one of her aunts stayed home ironing the wrapping paper for next year. We invent out own rituals to fill the time. Fox hunting and long cold walks are not necessary. All you need to do is relax.
Happy Boxing Day.
Copyright: David Bouchier
